Caty Pilachowski
As the first Gemini Observatory nears completion and approaches science operations, NOAO is ramping up activity within the US Gemini Program to prepare to support US investigators awarded time on the new 8-m telescope. NOAO astronomers in both Tucson and La Serena have been assigned as Gemini instrument "Mirror Scientists," with the responsibility to assist investigators proposing for and receiving time on Gemini. The Mirror Scientists will serve the Gemini community just as NOAO's Instrument Scientists assisted our KPNO and CTIO users for many years; Gemini users can expect a similar, high quality of service. The Mirror Scientists have, collectively, decades of experience with comparable (in some cases, the same) instruments and can offer expert assistance.
If you have questions about Gemini instruments or about how to use those instruments, please contact NOAO's Gemini Mirror Scientists for help. You may also direct queries through the new Gemini HelpDesk (see accompanying article).
The NOAO scientists assigned to Gemini instruments are listed below:
NIRI Near Infrared Imager Mike Merrill, Bob Blum
QUIRC/Hokupa'a UH AO Camera Tod Lauer
OSCIR Mid-IR Imager/Spectrometer Patrice Bouchet
CIRPASS Near-IR IFU Spectrograph Jay Elias
GMOS Optical Multi-Object Spectrograph Chris Smith
and Imager
Michelle Mid-IR Imager/Spectrometer Ken Hinkle
Phoenix High Resolution near-IR Ken Hinkle
Spectrometer
T-ReCS Mid-IR Imager and Spectrometer Patrice Bouchet
Altair Facility AO System Tod Lauer
HROS High-Resolution Optical Nick Suntzeff
Spectrograph
GNIRS Near-IR Spectrograph Jay Elias
NIRSPEC Keck Near-IR Spectrometer Ken Hinkle